Babies in the Faith
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Intro
Intro
I must tell you this was the most challenging week I’ve ever experienced attempting to write a sermon, but only for good reason. I think many, if not most of you know by now, Meggan and I finally had our dreams realized and prayers answered.
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On Wednesday, April 13 at 6:43 PM our little Elizabeth was born into this world, Meggan was able to be in the delivery room with the birth mother. And on friday evening, the birth parents, who we grew to love over the course of those 2 days and really the 7 weeks since they had selected us, signed her into our custody. Speaking for my wife and I both, we just wanted to give our utmost thanks to those of you who have spent any amount of time praying for us since the first Sabbath of last May when we shared with you our not yet completed testimony. Thankyou for praying, and although that day we shared we weren’t intending to ask for financial support, thankyou to those of you contributed financially. Some of you gave anonymously, and some gave with a name on it. We can’t express our gratitude to you all enough.
When the discharge nurse met with us before it was time to go home, I’ll admit I was having trouble focusing on what she was saying because all I could do was stare down at my little girl I was holding. I was proud of Meggan for doing a better job listening. The nurse was sharing important information. It felt as though I blinked, and the nurse was saying, “alright, lets get her in the carseat and lets get you guys on the road home.”
Wait we are leaving this place, that had 24 hour baby service, with unlimited expensive formula and diapers at our disposal, not to mention baby doctors and nurses all around us to help if there is any problem and their to answer any questions we have. I blinked and now its time to go home, and I don’t know enough information, certainly we need more training, maybe there is parent certification class we can sign up for, maybe…nope, its time.
We got home around 9 PM with our early Easter weekend gift, and suffice to say as the Sun had set and the Sabbath began, lets just say, not much Sabbath rest found. We were on high alert monitoring every sound and movement, no wonder the baby couldn’t sleep, we couldn’t sit still ourselves. God had blessed was with the baby we had prayed for, even before we began praying. I had a passage shared with me this week, that gave me some added perspective of this adoptive journey my wife and I have been on.
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Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
Isn’t that cool! You yourselves have been adopted by Jesus, and rescued from this dark world of sin.
verse 7 reads change slide
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
Some of you have been Christians your whole lives, and some of you may consider yourselves babies in the faith, the ones who are growing, and need more support. Today thats what we are going to be talking about. By examining examples in scripture, we will look at our to support and nurture new believers, as well as understand just how much God can use even a baby in the faith to accomplish mighty things for His kingdom! Before we go any further, lets pause for prayer.
Prayer
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If you have your Bibles I want to encourage you to turn to Acts 3.
Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”
If you have spent any time reading in the preceding gospels about Peter and John as well as the other disciples of Jesus, you would know they were not capable of accomplishing such a miracle. For 3 years we read of mostly greedy actions and child like silly questions from these particular disciples of Christ. What has changed in these men that recently the Holy Spirit been poured out among the people. What had changed in these notoriously bumbling disciples that had allowed them to speak with such courage and assured faith? What had changed that they were able to speak with such boldness?
Had they grown up?
Today’s message is about babies in the faith. When I say babies I don’t mean neccarily the famous babies of the Bible, baby Moses, baby Samuel, Baby John the Baptist, or of course baby Jesus. No I am referring to either new believers, or believers still looking to grow.
I would suggest to you that even though many of the original 12 disciples of Christ were in fact grown men, who had grown up faithful Jews, they would learn they were still babies in the faith.
I’d like to define babies in the faith a little bit, because it is not meant to be derogatory.
A baby in the faith has a spiritual foundation with the potential for great growth. A baby in the faith is not beneath the quote on quote “mature Christian.”
In a world of mature wisdom filled mature religious leaders, Jesus said himself, change slide
and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
The great commentary of the gospel writers: Desire of Ages reads: change slide
Before honor is humility. To fill a high place before men, Heaven chooses the worker who, like John the Baptist, takes a lowly place before God. The most childlike disciple is the most efficient in labor for God.
White, E. G. (1898). The Desire of Ages (Vol. 3, p. 436). Pacific Press Publishing Association.
My wife and I have really enjoyed the ongoing streaming series, “The Chosen.” which depicts the ministry of Jesus and the calling of his disciples. I’ve never in my life seen the gospel stories come more alive. It takes a few narrative liberties but none that I’ve seen that has been opposing or dishonest to the scriptures. One of these fictitious portrayals is tension between chosen disciples Simon Peter, and Matthew the former tax collector.
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Following his calling by Jesus, Matthew is portrayed as the formerly unreligious seeker who is attempting to learn all the scriptures he can that he didn’t previously know. He calculates things, he writes things down. Peter is disgusted he is journeying with a tax collector, one specifically who would have caused him to lose his livelihood before Jesus called him to follow. Peter sees himself, as Jesus personal protector, even from himself and the men he chooses to have follow him. Every chance he gets to belittle or shame Matthew, he chooses to do so. He views himself as most mature and street smart Christ follower.
Jesus saw them both for what they were, two young men with raw untapped potential for soul winning! As the narrative moves forward Jesus continues work on Peter’s pride as it is his ultimate stumbling block.
In the same chapter read earlier from Desire of Ages, Mrs. White comments: change slide
But when men exalt themselves, feeling that they are a necessity for the success of God’s great plan, the Lord causes them to be set aside. It is made evident that the Lord is not dependent upon them. The work does not stop because of their removal from it, but goes forward with greater power.
It was not enough for the disciples of Jesus to be instructed as to the nature of His kingdom. What they needed was a change of heart that would bring them into harmony with its principles.
White, E. G. (1898). The Desire of Ages (Vol. 3, pp. 436–437). Pacific Press Publishing Association.
Tori being baptized today and some of her classmates and schoolmates in the coming weeks. These kids have the Spirit that Jesus was looking for in soul winners. They have the undefiled love of Jesus in their hearts with out the life experience that can sometimes lead to a hardening of hearts.
As we have spent time studying all school year long, our goal was never to know the most information or to be able recite the longest most complicated texts. What we were doing was laying the foundation for a life spent following Jesus and preparing them for the temptations to follow. Its the same thing we seek to do when baptizing someone older.
Listen we have a bad tendency in the church sometimes. We do a good job discipling and leading people to the river for baptism, but then at times abandon them believing the job is done. Baptism is a building block to a new life in Jesus. Its not a graduation ceremony.
Desire of Ages Chapter 48—Who Is the Greatest?
Again Jesus explained to the disciples that His kingdom is not characterized by earthly dignity and display. At the feet of Jesus all these distinctions are forgotten.
Jesus has a precious work for the new believers and for the babies in the faith, and for the children and young people who sit before His feet.
Back to this encounter of Peter and John with the lame man begging. Peter tells the man to rise up and walk.
This was far from the first time the disciples had attempted to heal or cast out demons. In fact Matthew 17 and Mark 9 depict a man approaching Jesus to cast out a spirit afflicting his son, he tells Jesus, his disciples had tried and had failed.
What was different about these disciples now?
Their pride was gone. Their status didn’t matter. Their bravery and faith was at an all time high. The 3 years of investment and their gaining the Holy Spirit leading them empowered them to do something magnificent.
Rise up and Walk. change slide
And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God, and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
Peter recognizing that people were watching in amazement, utilizes the moment to speak to the crowd. change slide
English Standard Version Chapter 3
Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? 13 aThe God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, bthe God of our fathers, cglorified his servant2 Jesus, whom dyou delivered over and edenied in the presence of Pilate, fwhen he had decided to release him. 14 But you denied gthe Holy and hRighteous One, and iasked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and you killed jthe Author of life, kwhom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. 16 And lhis name—by mfaith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is nthrough Jesus3 has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.
Not only can Peter and John, through God’s power heal a man, but they now have them courage to engage and speak boldly to the same group of people who had crucified their master. But it wasn’t just rebuke a younger Peter may have wanted to give them. Peter solicits their hearts for repentance. change slide
“And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus,
These once babies in the faith, ones full of pride, envy, and power seeking....had the courage to speak truth to crowd, not unknown to stone and crucify people, but also had the love in their heart to plead for their repentance in order for them to receive salvation. Corrupting these men of God, was no longer with in the grasp of the devil.
But the devil did still have some seemingly powerful tools at his disposal. The religious leaders. Peter and John’s performing miracles and continuing to proclaim Jesus united the extreme left and right alike in the Sadduccees and Pharisees.
They had Peter and John arrested for teaching and proclaiming Jesus. change slide
And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition.
If there are any babies in the faith present here today. I want you to know something: It is amazing the power and confidence you can have in speaking truth without fear, even in the midst of threats when you know who stands beside you, when you know where your power is drawn from.
This religious council was taken back, It was as if these men didn’t care what they said to them. If there was not a healed man standing before them and a crowd who had witnessed it, they feared they could do nothing.
verses 17 and 18 tells us that they decided they couldn’t do much except give a stern warning to Peter and John to never again proclaim the name of Jesus.
I’ve always pictured this scene where the scribes and sadduccees and pharisees, puff out their chest and give their most intimidating voice they could manage to scare or threaten these once disciples now apostles Peter and John.
The fact of the matter was, the only men who were scared or trembling in that room was the religious leaders themselves. Because they had killed Jesus in order to silence the movement. They just couldn’t seem to learn the gospel had gone out, pentacost had taken place. There was no squashing this movement.
Listen to Peter and John’s response:
But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened. For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.
You know its possible when they were babies in faith, they might’ve had fear and standing before this angry council. Their foundation had empowered them to realize their potential that Jesus had seen in them, and by His power they had the courage to take a bold stand.
Peter and John had just done something incredibly bold and this had not gone unnoticed by their enemies, but it also had not gone unnoticed by their allies.
What has always stood out to me in this passage is what happened next, after they left the council and went back to their newly formed church family. Listen to what Peter prays for.
Peter says we are gathered in your homeland like David, the Lord’s anointed had generations before them, proclaimed the God of Israel to the opposing nations with boldness and zeal. Now Peter and John pray:
And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
My friends, whether you are a baby in the faith or a matured long time Christian, I want you to understand God has a place in His kingdom work and purpose for your service. His plan in your life will be revealed.
As my wife and I and several young couples in our church begin their new journeys in parenthood, understand that God has called us first and foremost to grow our babies into ambassadors for Jesus by introducing them to a loving savior. Eddlemon kids and children in general, if any adult ever doubts your abilities to do big things for Jesus, remind them in Christian love, that Jesus said in order to enter into His kingdom we must become like a child. Don’t lose your enthusiasm for sharing Jesus. In fact if God has called you to do something, pray like Peter and John…pray for more boldness. You babies in the faith can and will do mighty things!
